Gloves have existed for thousands of years, with the earliest depictions appearing in ancient Egyptian tombs.

The word “glove” originates from the Old Norse term “glōfi,” which means palm or hand.

In medieval Europe, throwing a glove at someone was a formal challenge to a duel.

Princesses and noblewomen wore gloves indoors to preserve their delicate, pale skin, which was a recognized sign of high status.

The Church once prohibited women from wearing dyed gloves because they were considered overly seductive.

In ancient Rome, people wore gloves to handle hot food without burning their hands.

The world’s oldest surviving gloves were discovered in Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Latex gloves were invented in 1894 at John Hopkins and commercially produced first by the Goodyear Rubber Company.

Winter gloves provide insulation by trapping warm air between their layers.

Surgical gloves are now tested for micro perforations, which can be invisible to the naked eye.

Touchscreen gloves function by using conductive fibers that replicate the electrical properties of skin.

Firefighter gloves can resist temperatures exceeding 900°F.

Kevlar gloves can stop a knife slash, but not always a stab, as different forces require different designs.

Boxing gloves were originally little more than leather pillows filled with horsehair.

Baseball gloves were not widely used until the 1870s, and players were often ridiculed for wearing them.

Hockey goalkeepers began wearing gloves in the 1960s, which is much later than many people assume. These gloves were designed to protect players from stick slashes.

American football gloves now use sticky silicone that significantly improves catching ability.

Ski gloves sometimes include built-in heaters powered by small batteries.

Queen Elizabeth II was seldom seen without gloves and owned hundreds of nearly identical pairs.

There is a museum dedicated entirely to gloves in Italy, called the “Glove Museum of Naples.”